Bag holder

ABSTRACT

A bag holder is disclosed having a support hoop for accommodating a plastic refuse bag, support arms for the hoop and an attaching bracket for holding the hoop and arms, and a cover that may be pivoted to overlie the hoop. The hoop is pivotal downwardly as are the support arms so that the entire bag holder may be folded into a compact arrangement when not in use.

United States Patent 11 1 Witten 1 BAG HOLDER [76] Inventor: Louis J. Witten, 47 Harland St.,

Milton, Mass. 02186 22 Filed: Mar. 16, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 342,212

[52] US. Cl 248/101, 248/97, 248/98 [51] Int. Cl B65b 67/12 [58] Field of Search 248/101, 99, 95, 100, 97,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 676,731 6/1901 Abbott 248/99 X 782,179 2/1905 Sarr I 248/101 1,376,660 5/1921 Ward 248/100 1,665,724 4/1928 Way 248/101 1,802,437 4/1931 McHugh 248/99 X 1,897,578 2/1933 Hetherington... 248/99 X 2,113,153 4/1938 Jonassen 248/101 14 1 Oct. 15, 1974 2,835,501 5/1958 Chamberlin et a1. 248/98 X 3,468,505 9/1969 Reilly 211/84 X 3,614,041 10/1971 Kogcr 248/101 X 3,642,145 2/1972 Shelton 211/85 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 968,738 9/1964 Great Britain 248/101 Primary Exami nerRoy D. Frazier Assistant ExaminerRodney H. Bonck [5 7 ABSTRACT 11 Claims, 7 Drawing lFigures FIELD OF THE INVENTION that is'readily collapsible when not in use and yet may 0 be easily set up in its operable position.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Various types of apparatus for holding a bag in an open position are, of course, known. Representative patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,468,505; 3,532,314; and 1,121 .388. The primary drawback associated with these known bag holders is that they are not entirely collapsible. Thus, when they are fastened to a wall, for example, they are fixed in position and always protruding from the wall whether they are being used or not. Even those holders which are partially collapsible do not fold into an arrangement that is particularly aesthetically appealing.

Accordingly, one important object of the present invention is to provide an improved bag holder that obviates these prior art problems.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a bag holder that is readily and preferably entirely collapsible yet may easily set up in to its usable position.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bag holder of improved design including a pivotal cover wherein the cover essentially overlies the bag support means in both the usable and nonusable positlons.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a bag holder that is easily fabricated in different sizes and is also attachable to different means for support such as a wall or post.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bag holder is relatively simple in construction, that can be manufactured relatively inexpensively and that is yet rugged in design.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To accomplish the foregoing and other objects of this invention the bag holder generally comprises a support bracket; a support hoop for accommodating a bag; means for securing the bag at its open end to the hoop; means for pivotally supporting the hoop from the bracket; a pair of spaced arms extending from the bracket and releasably engaging with opposite sides of the hoop; and a cover overlying the hoop; The cover is hinged from the bracket in a position to be pivoted over the hoop and is constructed so that when the arms are released from the hoop and the hoop is pivoted veritically, the cover may be pivoted downwardly to a substantially vertical position also covering the hoop and disposed adjacent thereto. The bag holder of this invention is adapted for use either inside a house or other building or outside of the building. Also. the bag holder is readily attachable to a wall. a post. or a cart or dolly for example normally used for transporting barrels or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the invention will now become apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the bag holder of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the bag holder shown in FIG. 1 in its folded or collapsed position;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view of an alternate embodiment of the bag holder shown in its unused position;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the bag holder shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 shows an alternate means for attaching the bag holder to a post support; and

FIG. 7'shows another means for attaching the bag holder to a cart or dolly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings, and in particular, to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of the bag holder of this invention. This bag holder generally comprises a support bracket 10, a support hoop l6, and a cover 20. The bracket 10 may be secured to a wall 11 by means of bolts or screws 12.

Referring also now to FIG. 2, the hoop 16 is supported by hinge 18 which has a fixed end 19 secured to bracket 10 and a pivotal end 21 secured to the lower edge of hoop 16 as mostclearly shown in FIG. 2. A pin 23 interconnects ends 19 and 21 of member 18. The hinge ends 19 and 21 may be secured to bracket 10 and hoop 16, respectively in any suitable manner.

The cover 20 is circular in shape and is connected to hinge member 18 by. means of connecting strip 26 which extends about pin 23 at one end and secures to the top surface of cover 20 at its other end as most clearly depicted in FIG. 2. Connecting strip 26 is made longer than hinge end 21 so as to permit the cover to overlie the hoop in both the useable and non-useable position as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively. FIG. 2 also shows in dotted outline the strip 26 and hoop and cover in their usable position.

In order to support the hoop 16 in the position shown in FIG. 1, there is provided support arms 30 and 32 which extend from bracket 10 to hoop 16 at opposite sides thereof. The bracket 10 includes lips 31 and 33, and a rivet or pin 34 may be used to secure the fixed end of arms 30 or 32 to their associated lips 31 or 33, respectively. In FIG. 2 there is shown the arm 30 disengaged from hoop 16 permitting it to pivot about pin 34 to a substantially vertically position as shown.

The upper end of the support arms, as viewed in FIG. 1, includes an engaging pin 36 that fits within an accommodating recess 38 in the bottom surface of hoop 16. In FIG. 1, there are actually two recesses 38 disposed diametrically opposite to each other. FIG. 3 which is a cross sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1 clearly shows the engaging pin 36 with its outer flange 40. Flange 40 is provided in order to prevent the arm from shifting away from the engaging pin.

The hoop 16 is also provided, as most clearly indicated in FIG. 3, with a recess 44 for accommodating an elastic or resilient band 46. After the hoop is supported as shown in resilient band 46. After the hoop is sup- It is noted in particular in FIG. 2 that when the arms 30 and 32 are disengaged from the hoop attheir upper end, that the hoop 16 is readily pivoted to a substantially vertical position, as is the cover 16. For a more aesthetic appearance the surface 49 of the cover may be provided with decals or other art work so that the bag holder does not even take upon the appearance of a bag holder when not in use.

FIG. 4 shows an alternate embodiment for the bag holder of this invention. This embodiment includes a bracket 50 which is rectangular in shape and includes a clip 52 for holding U-shaped support member 54. The hoop 56 may be of substantially the same configuration as discussed with reference to FIG. 1 and as indicated in FIG. is pivoted by means of hinge member 58 which may be similar to the hinge member 18 shown in FIG. 2, for example. One difference is that the hoop is provided with holes 60 rather than recesses. The inturned ends 62 of support bracket 54 engage with holes 60 for supporting the hoop 56. Bracket 54 may be made of resilient plastic so that the ends 62 can be deflected outwardly in order to be positioned in holes 60.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, of course. the bag holder is in its nonused position. Also, for the sake of clarity, the cover is not shown in this embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows another adaptor for the bag holder of this invention. This adaptor is used in order to support the bag holder in a cart or dolly having a handle 80 with vertical sections 82 spaced apart. In this case, the bracket is secured by bolts 84 to a pair of support struts 86. The ends of each strut are semi-circular in shape to fit about section 82. When the bolts 84 secure the bracket 10 to the struts 86 the semi-circular ends of the struts holds the bag holder in position in the cart.

The holder of this invention has many uses. For example, it may be used in a hospital (smaller version) attached to a bed. Also, it could be used in other areas of the hospital. It can also be used inside cabinets or closets in the house.

Having described a limited number of embodiments of the present invention, it should now be apparent that numerous modifications of these embodiments can be made. All such modifications and alternate embodiments are contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

4 What is claimed is: l. A holder for a bag comprising; a support bracket, a hoop for supporting a bag, means for securing a bag at its open end to said hoop,

a hinge means secured to an upper portion of said support bracket and including an end secured to said hoop for pivotally supporting said hoop from said bracket in either a substantially horizontal useable position, perpendicular to said support bracket, or a substantially vertical non-useable position, parallel to and depending from said support bracket,

a pair of spaced arms extending from a lower portion of said support bracket and releasably engaging with opposite sides of said hoop,

said hoop having means for receiving said arms and said arms fixedly attached to said bracket but pivotal with respect thereto,

a cover,

said hinge means including a pivotally mounted connecting strip extending therefrom and connected to said cover, said connecting strip having a length to permit said cover to overlie and cover said hoop in both the useable and nonuseable positions of said hoo 2. The bag holder of claim 1 wherein said bracket includes spaced flanges, each said flange having one of said pair of spaced arms pivotally secured at one end thereto.

3. The bag holder of claim 2 wherein said hoop is circular in shape and said arms have another end engaging at diametrically opposite sides of said hoop.

4. The bag holder of claim 1 wherein said hoop has an annular outer recess, and said means for securing includes a resilient band for fitting in said recess with said bag disposed intermediate the band and hoop recess.

5. The bag holder of claim I wherein said spaced arms are interconnected to form a U-shaped support bracket, said hoop having diametrically disposed holes for accommodating the ends of said U-shaped support bracket.

6. The bag holder of claim 4 wherein said hoop includes diametrically disposed recesses and said arms each have engaging pins for fitting in said recesses.

7. The bag holder of claim 6 wherein each said engaging pin includes a flanged end for locking said pin relative to the hoop recess.

8. The bag holder of claim 1 comprising means for securing said support bracket to a column.

9. The bag holder of claim 1 comprising means for securing said support bracket to a cart or dolly.

10. The bag holder of claim 1 wherein said hinge means includes a pin for commonly carrying the end of the hinge means that is secured to the hoop and the connecting strip.

11. The bag holder of claim 10 wherein the distance between the pin and hoop is less than the length of the connecting strip thereby permitting the cover to overlie the hoop when the hoop is in its horizontal useable position and when the hoop is in its vertical non-useable position in which the hoop is covered by the cover. 

1. A holder for a bag comprising; a support bracket, a hoop for supporting a bag, means for securing a bag at its open end to said hoop, a hinge means secured to an upper portion of said support bracket and including an end secured to said hoop for pivotally supporting said hoop from said bracket in either a substantially horizontal useable position, perpendicular to said support bracket, or a substantially vertical non-useable position, parallel to and depending from said support bracket, a pair of spaced arms extending from a lower portion of said support bracket and releasably engaging with opposite sides of said hoop, said hoop having means for receiving said arms and said arms fixedly attached to said bracket but pivotal with respect thereto, a cover, said hinge means including a pivotally mounted connecting strip extending therefrom and connected to said cover, said connecting strip having a length to permit said cover to overlie and cover said hoop in both the useable and nonuseable positions of said hoop.
 2. The bag holder of claim 1 wherein said bracket includes spaced flanges, each said flange having one of said pair of spaced arms pivotally secured at one end thereto.
 3. The bag holder of claim 2 wherein said hoop is circular in shape and said arms have another end engaging at diametrically opposite sides of said hoop.
 4. The bag holder of claim 1 wherein said hoop has an annular outer recess, and said means for securinG includes a resilient band for fitting in said recess with said bag disposed intermediate the band and hoop recess.
 5. The bag holder of claim 1 wherein said spaced arms are interconnected to form a U-shaped support bracket, said hoop having diametrically disposed holes for accommodating the ends of said U-shaped support bracket.
 6. The bag holder of claim 4 wherein said hoop includes diametrically disposed recesses and said arms each have engaging pins for fitting in said recesses.
 7. The bag holder of claim 6 wherein each said engaging pin includes a flanged end for locking said pin relative to the hoop recess.
 8. The bag holder of claim 1 comprising means for securing said support bracket to a column.
 9. The bag holder of claim 1 comprising means for securing said support bracket to a cart or dolly.
 10. The bag holder of claim 1 wherein said hinge means includes a pin for commonly carrying the end of the hinge means that is secured to the hoop and the connecting strip.
 11. The bag holder of claim 10 wherein the distance between the pin and hoop is less than the length of the connecting strip thereby permitting the cover to overlie the hoop when the hoop is in its horizontal useable position and when the hoop is in its vertical non-useable position in which the hoop is covered by the cover. 